I have sat in plenty of court hearings where the multi-judge panels unanimously and openly pretended to be concerned with the government position. To question government lawyers unceasingly about their trespass or subversion or undue application of powers.

I have left the courtroom feeling very secure the judges were going to slap down the government.

Only to read their rulings rendered some weeks later -- often in a form unavailable to examination by the public as an open record, yet never the less having the effect of force of law that a good citizen must obey -- [Ignorance of the law....] that grant the government EVERY position demanded or requested, and denying the good citizen any relief, restraint, access requested.